A Nice Cup of Coffee
by Doc Scratch
Summary: L stops by a little café for an afternoon snack. Mild crossover. Now with Part 2: Light and Misa go on a not-so-quiet-or-romantic date.
1. The Greatest Cheesecake EVER

A/N: I'm bored and have been meaning to write this for a while. Just a fun little one-shot that I may turn into a series if I feel motivated enough.

Disclaimer: I own neither Death Note, nor Café Kichijouji. Although it's almost Christmas soo... Hey, a girl can dream, yeah?

Summary: L stops by a little café for an afternoon snack. Mild crossover with Café Kichijouji.

Title: A Nice Cup of Coffee

L, the greatest three detectives in the world, had felt like a break today. Just a little trip out to a small café in downtown Tokyo. It wasn't often that the man left his room for reasons not pertaining to a case, but the prospect of coffee and cake in a nice, professional atmosphere sounded extremely refreshing.

Watari had driven him down in the black limo, dropping him off and heading back to do… whatever it was that Watari did when L wasn't around. The detective shuffled into the café with a smile, a little bell ringing above the door to announce his entry. It was a cozy little restaurant, simple but elegant tables and chairs and a plant or two in the corners for color. The door presumably leading to the kitchen was visible behind the long square cashier area. A hallway to the right led off to the bathrooms and what had to be a storage room. Everything was in warm, light, tan and yellow colors, with a few splashes of blue and green in the plants and paintings.

The place certainly _looked_ nice enough. However although it was nearly lunchtime, there didn't appear to be anyone else in the shop. Not even a waiter.

Confused, L checked the door, but the sign on the outside declared the store to be open at this time. Wondering if perhaps today was some sort of holiday and the manager of the shop had simply forgotten to close up, L turned to leave.

Someone was standing there. Most people would've cried out or leapt back. L was not most people. His already wide eyes widened a little more, but other than that there was no reaction. The eerie smile on the young man who had appeared there grew. He wore a waiter's uniform, had slanted cobalt eyes and dark plum-colored hair that brushed his collar and fell into his face.

"Well." The man said in a strange wispy sort of voice. "A customer."

"Yes." L replied, confused but not deterred. "Is this café open?"

"Indeed." The man nodded. "My apologies, most of the staff have gone out to replace our sadly dwindling supplies… I am Chef Minagawa." L was further confused. Minagawa had said 'most of the staff' meaning plural. How many people could it possibly take to do a little shopping?

"Ah… I see." L lied. "Should I return later then, perhaps?" Minagawa appeared to consider him.

"No… I shall serve you." The man stated, as though having just made up his mind. He granted L another of his creepy smiles. Those smiles were clearly designed to imply that he believed it was only a matter of time before you made a fool of yourself and he was going to be there to make it worse when you finally did.

Minagawa moved swiftly, surely, behind the cashier, opening the door to the kitchen. "What shall I make you?" He asked, the question almost seeming to be directed at himself rather than L.

"I would like a cup of coffee, a slice of strawberry cheesecake, and a dish of sugar cubes." L ordered politely, walking over to seat himself at one of the small tables. The chairs were comfortable despite not having cushions, and just large enough for L to rest his heels on the edge and sit in his usual position.

Minagawa, now wearing a bandana and two hairclips to hold his hair out of his face, poked his head out of the kitchen raising a delicate eyebrow at the sight but making no remark on it.

"Would you like cream or milk with your coffee?" He asked; his voice apparently retained its chilly tone no matter what he said.

"No, just the sugar cubes." L answered calmly. Minagawa nodded and vanished back into the kitchen again. Sounds of stirring, coffee brewing, and cupboard doors opening and closing filled the air. L chewed on his thumb while he waited, staring boredly at a picture of a peaceful harbor on the wall. A fat black cat leapt onto his knees, slid into his lap, and meowed languorously. L stared at it. The cat stared back. A staring contest ensued.

"Sukekiyo!" Minagawa's voice as he came out of the kitchen, carrying L's coffee in one hand and a dish of sugar cubes in the other, had a faintly disapproving air, but there was a look in his eyes that L was able to read as deep affection for the little animal.

"It's fine." L said. He didn't really mind cats. They were much better than dogs, anyway, and never tried to lick your face or demand that you play with them in noisy, distracting barks.

Minagawa just smiled at him and it wasn't the same smile as before, it was warmer now, more accepting, as though L had passed some sort of test. The chef set the coffee and the dish down and returned to the kitchen. L began ferrying cubes of sugar into the dark hot drink with his right forefinger and thumb. He'd gotten up to twelve and counting when Minagawa returned with his plate of cheesecake and a fork. The chef stood there for a moment, head tilted, and watched with vague interest as L continued lifting the cubes and dropping them in his coffee like some sort of human crane.

"You must be a very bitter person, to need so much sugar." Minagawa observed, setting the plate and fork in front of L so carefully that they didn't make a sound as they touched the wooden tabletop. L glanced up at him in genuine surprise.

"Yes… I suppose I am, in some ways." The detective replied thoughtfully, lifting the fork gently to dip it into the cheesecake. Minagawa stood by, waiting for the reaction.

Oh. God.

This was the best cheesecake in the _world_. The whole. Damn. _World_.

L looked up at Minagawa, his mouth full of sweet strawberry syrup-drenched delight, with pure adoration. He wanted to say something, to ask the man if he wanted the best paying chef's job in existence, to ask what he wanted, _anything_ just so that L could have this every day for the rest of his life. Minagawa had a new smile on. This one, clearly a follow up to the first, seemed to say 'there, see, I knew you'd make a fool of yourself, but I won't make it worse _this_ time.'

Wordlessly, L finished his cheesecake, and his coffee. Minagawa lifted Sukekiyo off of L's lap, cradling the cat gently as it leaned against the chef's shoulder and yawned. Without speaking, the two men went to the cash register; Minagawa rang up the price, which L felt was far too cheap for what the other's skills were worth. Nevertheless, the detective paid, leaving a handsome tip.

He turned to go, this time no dark youth stood in his path and he reached the door, the little bell tingling as he pulled it open.

"Come again." A ghostly soft voice whispered in L's ear, and when the detective's head turned the kitchen door was already shutting gently.

And L just knew that he would.

To Be Continued…?

A/N: Huh… that was less humorous than I imagined it to be. Then again, Minagawa has a lot more self control then the others.

This could be slashy, if you squint and turn your head a little. Though that could just be my pervy side acting up.


	2. Waiter Frenzy

A/N: Well, part two of this little plaything of mine. Lol I couldn't resist...

Disclaimer: I own neither Death Note, nor Café Kichijouji, only the idea to put them together. For which I proclaim myself as awesome. xDD

Episode II: 

Waiter Frenzy

Light Yagami, otherwise known as Kira, Future God of the New World, could not recall ever being so annoyed by anyone before in his life. Except possibly L. Possibly. The jury was still out on the decision. At any rate, the current object of his irritation was a petite blonde beauty going by the name of Misa Amane, whose presence most straight men would have given their right arms for the privilege of being annoyed by.

The young woman had been pestering him mercilessly, refusing to stop calling and sending emails. Light wouldn't be surprised if she actually showed up at his school at some point, despite him specifically stating that they needed to keep even a hint of an acquaintance, let alone a romantic relationship, a secret. Misa didn't seem to get the whole 'if L becomes suspicious of us we're totally screwed' thing Light was trying to convey.

And so, he had finally caved, allowing for one date just to keep her quiet. At which point Misa had become uncontrollably excitable and dragged him off to downtown Tokyo to look for a 'nice little shop' for them to have lunch at.

Light thought that if he wasn't already insane, he would be shortly.

The place she chose, a tiny pleasant-looking restaurant with a sign naming it as Café Kichijouji, didn't seem so bad. It was just the model herself that was grating on Light's nerves. As they entered the shop, a little tingle rang out from a bell attached to the door. There was silence for a few moments.

"Ohhh it's so cute! Isn't it, Light?" Misa squeaked, admiring the décor of the little café. 'Why does she think it's ok to skip the honorific?' Light thought exasperatedly.

"Sure, it's alright." He forced a smile. "Where is everyone though?"

Suddenly, almost as though triggered by Light's question, a yell rang out through the small building. "MAKI! DIDN'T YOU HEAR THE BELL!?" The voice was harsh, commanding, the voice of a professional and a perfectionist pushed way, _way_ beyond his limit.

"Wha-!?" Suddenly a tall man in a waiter's uniform was shoved out of the door behind the cash register, which was swiftly snapped shut behind him. He had golden-blonde hair pulled back into a thick ponytail, and was currently rubbing a bump on his forehead. "Ow! You really need to learn to control your anger, Taro! Hitting people with mops isn't a healthy way to deal with stress!" He complained.

"It is when the person I'm hitting is the _cause_ of my stress! Now stop being so unprofessional and do your job!" The first voice shouted back from behind the door. Grumbling, the blonde man turned… and his whole expression changed when he saw them.

"Oh hello there. I'm really sorry about that; we've been having a sort of… hectic day." The waiter flashed a charming smile. Both words and grin seemed to be directed at Misa. "Come on, I'll show you to your table." He added, hopping over the register and leading them to a small two-person table by the window. Misa, babbling happily to Light about what they should order, took her chair without a thought. Light stared glumly, wondering why she had to focus on him so completely when the waiter was obviously hitting on her.

"So what can I get for such a lovely lady and her… brother?" Maki, as the waiter's nametag proclaimed him to be, asked while pulling a notepad and pencil out of his apron.

"Ohhh, Light's not my brother. He's my boyfriend." Misa declared firmly. Maki looked highly disappointed.

"Oh… well, ok then." He sighed, clearly depressed. 'Jeeze, how lame. You'd think it was actually a big deal.' Light thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

"I'll take the western-style cucumber sandwich and a cup of chai tea, thank you." Light ordered, annoyed that the waiter's attention still didn't seem to have transferred from Misa.

"Right got it." Maki said, scrawling Light's request on his notepad absently. "And for you, madam?"

"Hehe, you're funny." Misa giggled. "Hmm… I think I'll just have the mandarin salad and a glass of iced tea. I need to keep a watch on my figure." Misa shot a glance at Light, one that clearly suggested that she wished he would eye her figure more often. Light blatantly ignored her, wondering how on earth Misa hadn't managed to take a hint yet. Then again, he supposed it was better for his plans in the long-run that she didn't. Still, couldn't the girl be less… clingy?

"Alright, one mandarin salad and iced tea for the pretty girl." Maki smiled, apparently not willing to give up yet, and scribbled the order carefully on his notebook. He tucked it back into his apron pocket and turned to leave when suddenly he froze, whirling back around. "Wait a minute! I've seen you before, haven't I!?" Misa pretended to look modest and surprised. She managed to look only slightly flattered and proud. "Yeah! I know you, you're MisaMisa!! Oh wow! I can't believe this!" Maki started pulled the notebook out again. "Hey can I have your auto-"

WHAM!!

Maki stumbled, crashing to the floor as an industrial broom nailed him on the head. A slim young man just a little shorter than Maki, with short platinum-blonde hair, and dark pink eyes behind elegant oval glasses stood across the room by the cash register, his arm still flung out from launching the broom.

"_What_ did I tell you!?" He asked severely, straightening and pushing his glasses up his nose. "Stop goofing around and do your job!"

"DANGIT TARO STOP DOING THAT!" Maki sat up on the floor abruptly, grabbing the broom and waving it angrily. "Seriously, who THROWS these things at people!? How are you going to make it up to my fangirls if you damage my beautiful face!?"

'Are… are these people _insane_!?' Light thought, alarmed. The behavior when he and Misa had entered had been a bit weird, but this was just plain crazy! Misa was actually laughing, the dumb girl found this entertaining! Light rubbed his temples, extremely aggravated. What had he gotten himself into?

"I'm sure they'd get over it." Taro, who was wearing the uniform of a restaurant manager, stated flatly. "Give me my broom back."

"No! You throw it at me and then you think I'm going to give it back just like that!?" Maki yelled. Taro's rose eyes narrowed dangerously behind his spectacles. Maki gulped.

"You are such a terrible worker! I don't know why you even bother to get up in the morning, if I were you-" Taro began, but Maki cut in to what was apparently a routine tirade.

"Oh you'd be thrilled to be me! Who wouldn't? Honestly Taro you're just jealous because you never have as much fun as I do." Maki retorted.

"JEALOUS!? Of an arrogant foolish man who hasn't seen his own floor in YEARS!?" Taro exploded, stomping forward.

"Better than a neat-freak who THROWS BROOMS at people and can only find joy in the newest cleanser!" Maki shouted.

"No it's not! I'm surprised you haven't caught some kind of fatal _disease_ from that _pit_ you live in!" Taro hollered back.

"And you probably spend about half your paycheck on all those stupid cleaning supplies that you don't even _need_-"

"Stop talking about my collection! You spend half _your_ paycheck on girlie mags!"

"DO NOT! You nitpicky, stiff, clean obsessed-"

"You stupid, arrogant, filthy-"

"Violent, bossy, lonely-"

"Lazy, useless, crude-"

Misa and Light's gazes had been flipping back and forth like ping pong balls between the two men, now no more than two feet away from each other and looking ready to murder one another. The two death note users really had no idea what to do, Misa was still looking amused, although slightly weirded out, while Light just wanted to get the hell out of there. And then, suddenly, it was over, both Taro and Maki appeared to be thrown against the nearest wall by some invisible force. Misa squealed in surprise and Light blinked, utterly bewildered.

"Now, now boys… play nicely." A seriously creepy voice floated through the air like a sinister fog. A man wearing a waiter's uniform and a chef's apron had appeared out of the kitchen, plum-colored hair falling over one dark blue eye and a small ominous grin on his pale face. The lithe newcomer held what appeared to be two straw dolls in his hands, one with a tag on it reading 'Maki-chan' and the other with a tag reading 'Taro-chan' tacked onto them.

Slowly, Taro and Maki stood up again, holding their heads. Maki was whimpering a little, but Taro just looked annoyed.

"That was completely unnecessary, Minagawa-san…" The spectacled manager protested.

"Hardly." Minagawa smirked. "You were bothering the customers." Taro looked mortified, glancing at Light and Misa as though he was about to get down on his knees and beg their forgiveness. Maki was still busy rubbing his head and wincing. Minagawa swooped over and neatly slipped Maki's notebook out of his apron. "I'll be in the kitchen fixing your orders. I apologize for the idiocy of my co-workers."

"Wha- Idiocy!?" Maki seemed to snap out of his self-pity. Minagawa had already disappeared into the kitchen. "COME BACK HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE YOU CREEPY OCCULT-OBSESSED-"

"I beg your pardon?" Minagawa's peered around the kitchen door, his voice deceptively polite. There was a strange shadow over his eyes.

"Uh…" Maki fumbled. "…I'll be in the storage room re-organizing the supplies…" The blonde waiter rushed out of the room, and the chef vanished into the kitchen once more.

Taro bowed respectfully to Light and Misa. "I am deeply sorry. You will of course receive a discount on your meal." With that, the man retrieved his broom and returned to the kitchen as well.

"Oh Light, that was so funny!" Misa gushed, leaning across the table and brushing her hand against the stunned Light's with a coquettish smile. Light stared at her in disbelief.

You couldn't have _paid_ him to come back to this place _ever_ again, no matter how good the food turned out to be.

To Be Continued…?

A/N: Poor Light… poor, poor Light. And Ryuk isn't with them right now, because Misa said it would be rude for someone to spy on their date, so he's back at Light's with a bowl of apples.

Good thing too, because Minagawa might've 'sensed his presence' and thought he was an evil ghost and tried to exorcise him. …Or strike a bargain with him…

One never can tell with Minagawa.

Taro and Maki's antics amuse me. I am strongly of the opinion that they have a lot of UST. (Unresolved Sexual Tension) That is in fact never going to be resolved (except maybe in my mind… fufufu) because Taro has intimacy issues and thinks touching people (especially Maki) is gross and might contaminate him.


End file.
